Bob Gaudio

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Bob Gaudio
Bob Gaudio (cropped).png
Gaudio in 1966
Background information
Birth nameRobert John Gaudio
Born (1942-11-17) November 17, 1942 (age 81)
The Bronx, New York, U.S.
Origin Bergenfield, New Jersey, U.S.
Genres Rock, pop
Occupation(s)Record producer, songwriter, musician
Instrument(s)Piano, vocals
Years active1958–present

Robert John Gaudio (born November 17, 1942) is an American songwriter, singer, musician, and record producer, and the keyboardist and backing vocalist of the pop/rock band the Four Seasons. Gaudio wrote or co-wrote and produced the vast majority of the band's music, including hits like "Sherry" and "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)", as well as "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" for Valli. Though he no longer performs with the group, Gaudio and lead singer Frankie Valli remain co-owners of the Four Seasons brand.

Contents

Early career

Born in the Bronx, New York, Gaudio was raised in Bergenfield, New Jersey, where he attended Bergenfield High School. [1] [2] His mother worked for the publishing house Prentice Hall and his father in a paper factory. He showed an interest in music and studied piano with Sal Mosca. [3]

He grew up in more comfortable middle-class surroundings than the other members of the Four Seasons, which caused some tension and differences early on. He was a cerebral person, interested in reading and learning. He stayed out of trouble and had a mild manner, which proved useful during negotiations throughout his career.

He rose to musical fame at the age of 15 as a member of The Royal Teens, for whom he co-wrote the hit "Short Shorts". [2] In 1958, while he and the group were promoting the single, they met Frankie Valli and his group the Four Lovers as they prepared to perform on a local television program. Wearying of touring, Gaudio left the Royal Teens soon afterward.

One year after he ceased touring, Gaudio joined the Four Lovers. While commercial success was elusive, the group was kept busy with session work (with Bob Crewe as the producer), and a string of performances at night clubs and lounges.

The Four Seasons Era

Gaudio (left) with The Four Seasons in 1966 The 4 Seasons (1966).png
Gaudio (left) with The Four Seasons in 1966

In 1960, after a failed audition at a bowling establishment in Union Township, called the "4 Seasons", songwriter/pianist Gaudio shook hands with lead singer Valli and formed the Four Seasons Partnership, and Gaudio, Valli, Tommy DeVito, and Nick Massi became The Four Seasons.

Gaudio wrote the Seasons' first No. 1 hit, "Sherry", 15 minutes before a group rehearsal in 1962. With producer Bob Crewe often assisting with lyrics, Gaudio wrote a string of subsequent hits for the Seasons, including "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Walk Like a Man", "Dawn (Go Away)", [4] "Ronnie", "Rag Doll", "Save It for Me", "Big Man in Town", "Bye Bye Baby", "Girl Come Running", "Beggin'", and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" (the first big success under Valli's name as a solo performer). Crewe/Gaudio compositions also became major hits for other artists, including the Tremeloes ("Silence Is Golden", originally the B-side of the Four Seasons' "Rag Doll"), The Osmonds ("The Proud One", originally recorded as a Valli solo single) and the Walker Brothers ("The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore", another Valli single).

After the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album was released in June 1967, Gaudio saw the pop music market changing, and sought to position the Four Seasons into the trend of socially conscious music. One evening he went to the Bitter End in Greenwich Village and saw Jake Holmes performing. Gaudio was taken with Holmes' song "Genuine Imitation Life" and decided to base a Four Seasons album upon it. With Holmes as his new lyricist, The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette album was released in January 1969. The album was a commercial failure and symbolized the end of the Four Seasons' first period of success. The appreciation of The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette has grown over the years, and it was re-released on CD (minus the newspaper cover) in the 1990s by Rhino in the U.S. and Ace in the UK. Gaudio and Holmes also wrote and produced Frank Sinatra's 1969 album Watertown .

In 1975 Gaudio wrote "Who Loves You" and "December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" with his future wife Judy Parker. The Bob and Judy songs became big hits for a reconstituted Four Seasons group (only Valli was left of the original lineup; Gaudio stopped touring with them in 1971 to concentrate on writing and producing).

Gaudio, Tommy DeVito, Frankie Valli and Nick Massi   the original members of The Four Seasons  were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 [5] and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999. [6]

Other activity

In addition to his work for the Seasons and Sinatra, he wrote and/or produced for Michael Jackson, Barry Manilow, Diana Ross, Eric Carmen, Nancy Sinatra, Peabo Bryson, and Roberta Flack. In particular, he produced six complete albums for Neil Diamond, and the movie soundtrack albums for Diamond's The Jazz Singer and Little Shop of Horrors . Gaudio also produced the hit "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" for Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond, a duet that reached the top of Billboard charts in 1978, for which he received a Grammy Award nomination.

In the 1990s Gaudio moved to Nashville and produced recordings for Canadian country artist George Fox, among others. He lured Neil Diamond to Nashville to record the album Tennessee Moon . In recent years Gaudio has focused on musical theater, writing the music for the 2001 London West End production of Peggy Sue Got Married .

Gaudio was instrumental in mounting Jersey Boys , a musical play based on the lives of the Four Seasons, which ran at the La Jolla Playhouse through January 2, 2005, and then opened on Broadway on November 6, 2005, to mostly positive reviews. In 2006, the play won four Tony Awards, including Best Musical. In 2007, it won a Grammy in the Best Musical Show Album category.

Gaudio was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1995. [7]

On February 3, 2009, Gaudio received his high school diploma, 50 years after dropping out of Bergenfield High School.

On May 12, 2012, Gaudio received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for his commitment to many humanitarian causes. [8]

On June 20, 2014, Warner Bros. released the film version of Jersey Boys , directed by Clint Eastwood, in which Gaudio was portrayed by Erich Bergen. [9] Jersey Boys credits a then-teenaged Joe Pesci with introducing Gaudio to Tommy DeVito. [10]

On July 1, 2014, Rhino Entertainment released Audio with a G, the first compilation of the music composed by Bob Gaudio as performed by the Four Seasons, Frank Sinatra, Diana Ross, The Temptations, Cher, Roberta Flack, Nina Simone, Jerry Butler, Chuck Jackson and others. [9]

Gaudio remains active in managing the Four Seasons catalog and consults with Primary Wave, a company Gaudio partnered with to manage the catalog in 2020, on each licensing request, with a spokesman for Primary Wave noting that Gaudio was more hands-on than most musicians in how he wanted the Four Seasons' music to be used, especially in advertising. [11]

In 2022, Gaudio is credited as a co-songwriter for the song "Burning" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The song gained attention after it was used for the film Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken .

Personal life

Gaudio was married to Brit Gaudio until the early 1970s. Near the end of their marriage, the two wrote three songs together, all of which have titles pertaining to a disconnected couple. [12] Brit Gaudio died in 1989, age 47. [13]

By 1975, Gaudio was in a relationship with Judy Parker, who would become his wife and regular songwriting collaborator. "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" is, according to Gaudio, based upon an early encounter between the two. [14] The two married in 1981 and remained so until Parker died September 14, 2017. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Four Seasons (band)</span> American rock band

The Four Seasons is an American vocal quartet formed in 1960 in Newark, New Jersey. Since 1970, they have also been known at times as Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The band evolved out of a previous band called The Four Lovers, with Frankie Valli as the lead singer, Bob Gaudio on keyboards and tenor vocals, Tommy DeVito on lead guitar and baritone vocals, and Nick Massi on bass guitar and bass vocals. On nearly all of their 1960s hits, they were credited as The 4 Seasons. The band had two distinct lineups that achieved widespread success: the original featuring Valli, Gaudio, DeVito, and Massi that recorded hits throughout the 1960s, and a 1970s quintet consisting of Valli, Lee Shapiro, Gerry Polci, Don Ciccone and John Paiva, with Gaudio and Long providing studio support.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frankie Valli</span> American singer (born 1934)

Francesco Stephen Castelluccio, better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer, best known as the frontman of the Four Seasons beginning in 1960. He is known for his unusually powerful lead falsetto voice.

Nicholas E. Macioci was an American bass singer, songwriter, and bass guitarist. He is best known for his work as the bassist and bass vocalist for The Four Seasons, for whom he performed under the stage name Nick Massi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Calello</span> American songwriter

Charles Calello is an American arranger, composer, conductor, record producer, and singer born in Newark, New Jersey. Calello attended Newark Arts High School and the Manhattan School of Music, in New York City. His track record of successfully collaborating with various artists to produce or arrange Billboard hit songs led to his nickname in the industry as the "Hit Man."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy DeVito (musician)</span> American guitarist and singer (1928–2020)

Gaetano "Tommy" DeVito was an American musician. He was best known as a founding member, vocalist, and lead guitarist of rock band the Four Seasons.

Sandy Linzer is an American songwriter, lyricist, and record producer, who is best known for his songwriting collaborations with Denny Randell and Bob Crewe in the 1960s and 1970s. He co-wrote hits including "A Lover's Concerto", "Let's Hang On!", "Working My Way Back to You", "Breakin' Down the Walls of Heartache", "Native New Yorker", and "Use It Up and Wear It Out". He was nominated with Randell for induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) in 2012.

Denny Randell is an American songwriter and record producer, who is best known for his songwriting collaborations with Sandy Linzer and Bob Crewe in the 1960s and 1970s. He co-wrote hits including "A Lover's Concerto", "Let's Hang On!", "Working My Way Back to You", and "Native New Yorker", and was nominated with Linzer for induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) in 2012.

<i>Jersey Boys</i> Jukebox musical premiered in 2004

Jersey Boys is a jukebox musical with a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. It is presented in a documentary-style format that dramatizes the formation, success and breakup of the 1960s rock 'n' roll group The Four Seasons. The musical is structured as four "seasons", each narrated by a different member of the band who gives his own perspective on its history and music. Songs include "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Sherry", "December, 1963 ", "My Eyes Adored You", "Stay", "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", "Walk Like A Man", "Who Loves You", "Working My Way Back to You" and "Rag Doll".

Robert Stanley Crewe was an American songwriter, dancer, singer, manager, and record producer. Crewe co-wrote and produced a string of Top 10 singles with Bob Gaudio for the Four Seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Girls Don't Cry (The Four Seasons song)</span> 1962 single by The Four Seasons

"Big Girls Don't Cry" is a song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio and originally recorded by the Four Seasons. It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 17, 1962, and, like its predecessor "Sherry", spent five weeks in the top position but never ranked in the Billboard year-end charts of 1962 or 1963. The song also made it to number one, for three weeks, on Billboard's Rhythm and Blues survey. It was also the quartet's second single to make it to number one on the US R&B charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherry (song)</span> 1962 single by The Four Seasons

"Sherry" is a song written by Bob Gaudio and recorded by The Four Seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walk Like a Man (The Four Seasons song)</span> 1963 single by The Four Seasons

"Walk Like a Man" is a song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio and originally recorded by the Four Seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Long</span> American bassist (1932–2021)

Joseph Louis LaBracio, better known by his stage name Joe Long, was an American musician. He was best known as the bass guitarist for the Four Seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rag Doll (The Four Seasons song)</span> 1964 single by The Four Seasons

"Rag Doll" is a popular song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio. It was recorded by the Four Seasons and released as a single in 1964.

The Four Lovers was a band formed in 1956 that was the result of vocalist Frankie Valli joining The Variatones in 1954. The Four Lovers achieved minor success before a name change to The Four Seasons in 1960. During those five years, group members also included Nicolas DeVito, Hugh Garrity, Charles Calello (bass), Nick Massi, Bob Gaudio, and Philip Mongiovi (drums).

The Wonder Who? was a nom de disque of The Four Seasons for four single records released from 1965 to 1967. It was one of a handful of names used by the group at that time, including Frankie Valli and The Valli Boys. Wonder Who? recordings generally feature the falsetto singing by Valli, but with a softer falsetto than on "typical" Four Seasons recordings.

Judy Parker Gaudio was a record producer and songwriter who is best known for her collaborations with and marriage to fellow producer and songwriter Bob Gaudio.

<i>Jersey Boys</i> (film) 2014 American film by Clint Eastwood

Jersey Boys is a 2014 American musical drama film directed and produced by Clint Eastwood, based on the 2004 Tony Award-winning jukebox musical of the same name. The film tells the story of the musical group The Four Seasons. Original band members Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio serve as executive producers.

<i>The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette</i> 1969 studio album by The Four Seasons

The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette is a 1969 album by American rock band the Four Seasons. Member Bob Gaudio teamed up with Jake Holmes to create a psychedelic concept album which adjusted the band's stylings to the changing times of the late 1960s. Instead of love songs, the band tackled subjects such as war and racial tension.

<i>Closeup</i> (Frankie Valli album) 1975 studio album by Frankie Valli

Closeup is an album by Frankie Valli, released in February 1975 on the Private Stock label. It had been seven years since his prior album, and afforded Valli his first of two number-one solo hits in the US. The LP reached number 51 on the U.S. Billboard albums chart.

References

  1. Park, Eunnie. " An original 'Jersey Boy' returns to Bergenfield" [ permanent dead link ], The Record (Bergen County) , March 31, 2007. Accessed October 9, 2007. "Before "Jersey Boys" and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Bob Gaudio was a 15-year-old musical whiz from Bergenfield who had to decide between staying in school and touring with Chuck Berry."
  2. 1 2 Rotella, Mark. "Straight Out of Newark", The New York Times , October 2, 2005. Accessed October 9, 2007. "Originally from the Bronx, Mr. Gaudio had, at age 15, written the hit "Who Wears Short Shorts", which he made up while driving with friends along the main drag in Bergenfield."
  3. Ruhlmann, William. "Bob Gaudio". AllMusic.com. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  4. Bob Gaudio interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969)
  5. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame entry for "The Four Seasons".
  6. Vocal Group Hall of Fame entry Archived October 24, 2007, at the Wayback Machine for "The Four Seasons".
  7. "Bob Gaudio | Songwriters Hall of Fame". Songhall.org. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  8. "2012 Ellis Island Medal of Honor Recipients". National Ethnic Coalition. Archived from the original on June 3, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
  9. 1 2 Marchese, Joe (June 11, 2014). "Who Loves You: Rhino Celebrate 'Jersey Boys' with Box Sets for Frankie Valli and Four Seasons, First Bob Gaudio Anthology". The Second Disc.
  10. "Jersey Boys (2014)". History vs Hollywood. CTF Media. Archived from the original on June 27, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  11. Wood, Mikael (October 25, 2023). "At 89, Frankie Valli is ready for one last encore". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  12. Brit Gaudio songwriter credits from Allmusic, retrieved January 11, 2024.
  13. Brit Gaudio songwriter credits from Discogs, retrieved January 11, 2024.
  14. "Gaudio put words in Valli's mouth". Sun-setinel.com. Archived from the original on July 18, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2014.
  15. "Judy Gaudio, Co-Writer of Four Seasons Hits, Dies". Best Classic Bands. September 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2024.